


Memories

by Astralselenophile



Category: EXO (Band), Gugudan (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, College, F/M, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:02:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29044299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astralselenophile/pseuds/Astralselenophile
Summary: Sejeong never thought that she would miss college. And yet she did. Maybe it was the years she'd spent here. Maybe it was the hours she'd lost her sanity studying. Or maybe it was because of him.Sehun glanced at his watch for the fifth time within the past ten minutes. 4: 42. The hands seemed to move slower and drawn-out. He silently cursed himself for taking this job. He barely earned any money in this cafe and in exchange, it fucked up his entire sleep schedule.Sehun tapped his fingers impatiently, waiting for his shift to end. He was getting ready to pack his things and ditch his job when the bells above the entrance chimed. He was greeted with the sight of a girl, about his age, cradling a laptop and charger.
Relationships: Kim Sejeong/Oh Sehun
Kudos: 22





	Memories

**Author's Note:**

> I think I have a habit of posting on Thursdays lmao ^^

Sejeong never thought that she would miss college. And yet she did. Maybe it was the years she'd spent here. Maybe it was the hours she'd lost her sanity studying. Or maybe it was because of him. 

"I'm seriously going to miss this place." She frowned. "I can't believe I just said that."

"Well," the man beside her began." We do have a lot of memories of this place."

Sejeong and Sehun were walking aimlessly around the campus, holding hands, going over their memories of this place. A few hours before, they'd both graduated and received their degree. Even in the middle of the night, many were celebrating and partying. Sejeong and Sehun had snuck away from a party to go on a midnight walk. As they passed a dimly lit cafe, Sehun pointed it out. 

"Remember that cafe? I used to work night shifts there. I would sometimes have the whole place to myself."

Looking at the 24-hour open sign sparked a memory for Sejeong. "There was a time I had a term paper due in an hour. That cafe was the only one open and with WIFI."

Sehun looked at her with a warm gaze and smiled fondly. "That was the first time we met."

* * *

_Sehun glanced at his watch for the fifth time within the past ten minutes. 4: 42. The hands seemed to move slower and drawn-out. He silently cursed himself for taking this job. He barely earned any money in this cafe and in exchange, it fucked up his entire sleep schedule._

_Sehun tapped his fingers impatiently, waiting for his shift to end. He was getting ready to pack his things and ditch his job when the bells above the entrance chimed. He was greeted with the sight of a girl, about his age, cradling a laptop and charger._

_Sehun looked her up and down, silently judging her clothing style and appearance. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair in a messy bun and she was slightly out of breath. She was very obviously sleep-deprived and frantic. He had to give her credit though, not everyone could pull off a hoodie three times too big and still look cute._

_Sehun put on the most charming smile he could manage after standing for hours. "Hi, welc-"_

_"I'm so sorry, I have a paper due in a few hours and my roommate blew a fuse so our power's out, can I stay here for a while." She interrupted. The girl gave him a guilty smile and pleading eyes._

_Sehun blinked. "Uh, sure."_

_"Thank you, you're saving my life." She said before rushing in and plugging her laptop._

_Sehun watched her out of curiosity for a bit. She was extremely tense and panicked and intently focused on her assignment. He debated for a while before grabbing a cup._

_The girl was so absorbed in her task, she didn't notice him until Sehun set down a drink beside her. She looked up at him in confusion._

_"Is this for me?"_

_Sehun nodded. "Peppermint tea. Don't worry it's on me."_

_She smiled brightly. "Thanks." She took a large gulp._

_"Why are you doing a -" He squinted at her screen "-research paper on body structure due in an hour now?"_

_Sejeong sighed. "Long story. Let's just say there was a misunderstanding and I missed the first couple of classes." She rubbed her temples. "Fuck, I have a headache."_

_"I wish you luck."_

_"Thanks. I need it."_

* * *

Sejeong groaned in embarrassment. "Why'd that have to be our first encounter? I looked horrible that day."

"I thought you looked cute." Sehun comforted.

Sejeong rolled her eyes. "What do you mean, cute? I hadn't slept for days."

Sehun chuckled." I think we're equal. We've seen each other at the worst times. There was that time at 3 am and I was losing my grip on reality because I was in the library studying for finals."

* * *

_It was the third day in a row that Sejeong couldn't sleep. The stress and anxiety robbed her of any desire for rest. She knew that it wasn't healthy and would affect her during the day, but she couldn't force herself to sleep. Even in her dreams, she was surrounded by pressure and exams._

_It was like a never-ending nightmare._

_Sejeong wandered around the campus, breathing in some fresh air to clear her mind. Unluckily, she found herself at the doors of the school library. Sejeong sighed in defeat. It was as if fate was leading her to everything she avoided. She pulled on the handle, expecting it to be locked. To her shock, it opened with ease, and she stepped in tentatively._

_The library was massive, with tall bookshelves stacked with books almost reaching the ceiling and desks spread out everywhere. There was a faint light coming from one of the desks in the back. Sejeong could vaguely make out a shadow seated next to it. As she walked closer, she realized it was a boy, sprawled out on top of a rather thick textbook._

_He was pulled at his hair in frustration, his expression distressed. Sejeong studied his features carefully. The way he scrunched his nose and squinted his eyes all seemed familiar to her. It wasn't until Sejeong noticed the coffee cup next to him that she remembered him. He was that cute barista at the cafe down the road._

_"Hey." She said nervously._

_He was visibly startled by her, as he jolted away from the desk and fell on the floor._

_"Fuck!"_

_Sejeong rushed over to help him. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I was just passing by."_

_The boy on the floor stared at her for a minute before muttering "Oh, it's you. 4 am cafe girl."_

_Sejeong was taken back. "Excuse me?"_

_"4 am cafe girl." He repeated. "That person that used the cafe WIFI without ordering anything and had a horrible fashion sense." He sat in his chair again. "I'm Sehun, by the way."_

_"Sejeong." She said. She felt insulted by his comment. "And I have a great fashion sense. Not everyone dresses like a model in a cafe at 4 am. Besides," Sejeong looked at his outfit," you're wearing pyjamas at a library."_

_Sehun glared at her. "I'm aware. I'm losing my sanity. I would rather die than wear pyjamas in public. So if you don't have anything to do, I suggest you leave before I unleash my demons."_

_Sejeong resisted the urge to punch him in his perfectly sculptured nose. He was lucky he was really cute, or she would've thrown hands._

_"Whatever you say, Mr. Pyjamas."_

_Sejeong ran out of the library before Sehun could catch her._

* * *

"Hey, I never got to ask you. The school library is closed that late at night. How did you get in?" Sejeong asked him.

Sehun wiggled his eyebrows. "With my looks, anything is possible."

Sejeong laughed in disbelief. "You used your looks to seduce them to give the spare key to the library?"

"Not just the library. I could get into the cafeteria kitchen too." He said proudly.

She punched him in the arm. "That's not something you should be proud of. How manipulative of you."

Sehun frowned. "Look whos talking. You've used seduction before."

* * *

_Sehun felt lightweight and carefree walking back to his dorm. He'd just finished taking his finals a few hours ago and planning to celebrate by going partying with some of his friends. He was in a good mood, humming under his breath and walking with a slight spring in his step. He didn't even care that the harsh wind messed up his hairstyle. It didn't matter how well he did, it felt incredibly just to have it down with._

_He was walking past a dorm building when a small figure standing at the entrance, hugging her body. Sehun froze when she looked up and they locked eyes._

_Fuck it's her. Again._

_He was beginning to think she was a curse._

_“Hey, I left my student ID in my room and you’re the first person who’s walked by my building for hours now. I hate to be such a bother but can you pretty please swipe me in, it’s freezing” Sejeong said, pleadingly._

_Sehun raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I'll help you?"_

_"Because you're a great guy? You're kind?" She mustered up a smile." Because you don't want me to freeze to death? Because you're really handsome."_

_Sehun looked at her closely, observing that she was wearing a flowy purple dress. He grudgingly admitted that she looked attractive and had some decent style._

_"Come one," Sejeong pleaded desperately, "I'll treat you to drinks?"_

_Sehun pondered that suggestion. Free alcohol did sound tempting._

_"Alcohol?"_

_"Sure. Can you please just swipe me in? PLEASE?"_

_Sehun smiled. It was fun teasing her._

* * *

"I wouldn't call it seduction," Sejeong argued.

Sehun smirked. "I dunno, you looked pretty seductive standing there in the cold. And you're a pretty sexy drunk."

Sejeong blushed at the memory. She had indeed treated him to drinks after the incident. She had planned to get him drunk and get some blackmail of him. Unfortunately, Sejeong had gotten herself wasted before she could carry out her plan. Sehun had carried her back to her dorms and based on her roommate's words, she had "stuck to him like a newborn koala". He teased her about it for years. 

Sejeong tried to redirect their conversation. "Now that I think of it, we literally had no classes together that year and yet we still saw each other five times a week."

Sehun grinned. "Fate, sweetie. Speaking of fate, remember our second year?"

* * *

_Sejeong didn't know whether to thank the gods or curse them._

_She was overboard the past months and had forgotten to fill out her housing form, so she had nowhere to stay. The good news was that somebody dropped out, so there was a free spot for her to move in. Sejeong didn't know who her new roommate was, she just hoped they'd have a sense of hygiene and privacy._

_She'd spent the whole day sorting out her housing arrangements, all while carrying around her heavy luggage. Sejeong finally arrived at her new house in the afternoon and began unpacking her belongings. Out of habit, she began humming softly while she busied herself. By the time the front door opened, Sejeong was singing both parts of a duet by herself at the top of her lungs. She smiled and turned to look at her roommate, ready to greet him or her. Her smile faded when she saw a familiar face._

_She and Sehun stared at each other in silence for an excessive amount of time. Sejeong watched him as he back out of the doorway, check the address, and come back in. Her heart sank in the realization that SHE was going to live with HIM._

_She groaned and banged her head on the wall. "Gods, what the actual fuck."_

_The first few weeks of cohabitation were filled with awkwardness and childish insults. Sejeong really did try to interact with him and care for him, but he was cold and ignored her. After a while, she eventually gave up and focussed on her schoolwork. Apparently, Sehun liked her attention and began seeking it and sticking to her at every possible chance. It became impossible  
to get rid of him, so wherever Sejeong was, Sehun was always behind her. _

_And they stayed like that. Sejeong caring and making him laugh, Sehun always protecting and looking at her. They were too affectionate to be just friends yet they weren't exactly a couple. This hadn't gone unnoticed by others. Like Yuqi, who was Sejeong's friend and junior._

_The turning point of their relationship was near the end of their second year of college. Yuqi had spent hours convincing her to attend the party._

_"Come on, you have to let loose! Besides, there'll be cute guys!"_

_Silence._

_"There'll be drinks!"_

_Silence_

_"For god's sake, there'll be free food!"_

_"...I'm going, give me some time."_

_Sejeong thought it was going to be like a normal college party with drinks and food and maybe some games._

_Yuqi thought it was the perfect excuse to get Sejeong and Sehun together._

_Within an hour, they had managed to get the two stuffed in a closet slightly tipsy. In Yuqi's exact words, they had to be "drunk enough to do sometimes reckless but not drunk that they forgot about it." They expected Sejeong and Sehun to finally realize their feelings. What they did not expect was that they were both terribly stubborn and refused to accept their emotions. They also did not expect that Yuqi and everyone else got so drunk they forgot about them._

_The closet was awfully small and shoving two adults in did not help. Sejeong's face was millimetres away from Sehun's chest and his breath tickled her ears. An awkward silence hung in the air as neither of them said anything. Sejeong shifted uncomfortably, wanting to create some space between them. Not only did that make her feel even hotter, but she also tripped backwards and almost hit her head. Sehun with his incredibly fast reflexes wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up against him._

_They were even closer in before. They had been close before, but this was a first. Sejeong could smell the scent of laundry detergent on his shirt. She cleared her throat._

_"I'm so sorry," he muttered softly before letting her go._

_"No, no it's fine," Sejeong assured._

_This event had a significant impact on their relationship. They actively avoided each other out of embarrassment. Sejeong often caught herself turning around to tell Sehun something before realizing he was on the other side of the room. Sehun was so used to her smile and laughs it felt strange that it was so silent. He also began to notice his acts of possessiveness when Sejeong was with other guys. It was like it was always there but their separation made the obvious very clear. They were a part of each other._

_It wasn't before long that Sehun caved in and confessed to her. Ever since then, they were inseparable._

* * *

A strong gust of wind chilled Sejeong to her bones. She squeezed Sehun's hand and laid her head on his shoulder. Sehun slung his arm around her shoulder and hugged her closer. He looked up at the stars, deep in thought. 

"What do we do after this? After college? What are you going to do?"

Sejeong answered immediately. "Find a high paying job. I need to take care of me and my mom."

Sehun tapped her forehead. "Not that, silly. What are your dreams?"

Sejeong stayed silent for I long time. "Singing," she said finally, "I like singing. What are you going to do?"

Sehun deflated. "I don't know. My parents always planned everything for me. Go to high school. Get good grades. Graduate from college with honours. They said I'm free to do whatever I want after this. I'm feeling kind of lost."

"Same," Sejeong sighed "I guess we're both have important decisions to make."

They stood there, under the night sky, enjoying each other's warmth. Sejeong and Sehun didn't know what path they were going to take, but they were going to take it together.

**Author's Note:**

> This one took so much time, 2000 words!


End file.
